Disclaimer: Because life is cruel to me, AtLA remains property of VIACOM and Nickelodeon. No profit is made from this story.

Of course, Zuko's plan would have been well and good if not for the fact that he was expected to go with Nasou to Sho Lei the next day – not to the South Pole with two waterbenders and their brothers. This, of course, resulted in fleeing the palace at midnight aboard – a rather grumpy – Appa, a hyper-excited Akako, the tired-and-easily irritated Koji, and a surprisingly awake Sokka.

'Okay, guys, I completely respect your decisions and everything,' he said in a low whisper, 'but are you sure that sneaking out of the Fire Nation Royal Palace at midnight, leaving Toph with a note, is really the best way to go about it?'

'No,' said Katara as she loaded some blankets into Appa's saddle, then leaned down so Sokka could hand her some more. 'But, since you weren't around, Zuko and I had to come up with the plan on our own.'

'And this was the best you got?' hissed Sokka incredulously, handing two parcels filled with food, over to her.

'The runner-up involved us dressing Appa up as a dragon spirit.'

Zuko stifled a laugh.

'Seriously?' asked Sokka as he clambered into Appa's saddle.

Katara nodded.

'Honestly, I think that making him pose as Hebai would have been more realistic.' Sokka leant over and pulled Koji into the saddle, while Katara did the same thing on the other side with Akako.

'Who-now?'

'The panda spirit that was attacking that village we went to.'

'How do you know the panda spirit's name?' whispered Katara.

Sokka shrugged nonchalantly. 'I was trapped in the Spirit World. I know these things.'

'Yip-yi – what?'

'Don't worry,' said Toph from ground level, 'you'll find out if it's important enough.'

Zuko sighed.

'Toph, thanks for doing this for us,' said Katara. 'You really didn't have to.'

'And make me miss a prime opportunity to mess with those stuffy Fire Nation guy's heads?' Toph snorted. 'As if!'

'You enjoy their pain.' Sokka wasn't asking a question.

'Well, I need to do something other than earthbending with my spare time.'

'Is that why Lieutenant Zho ...?'

Toph just chuckled, and began to walk away. 'Bye, guys. Have fun; choke on some stewed sea prunes for me.'

Appa soared into the sky; Katara looked down at Toph until she could no longer see her. Then she turned around.

'Zuko, who was Lieutenant Zho?' she asked.

'He was a Lieutenant,' said Zuko, Sokka made a 'duh' sound, 'an intelligent, honest, reliable, firebender of honour ... And then he met Toph.'

Sokka chortled.

*

'Katara?'

'Yes?

'What do we do now?' asked Akako.

'Try and get some sleep. Here,' said Katara, handing the girl some blankets, 'wrap these around yourself and try to find some space.'

Akako shot a disdainful glance at her brother, who was sprawled out on Appa's saddle.

'You honestly think I have much of a chance with that taking up all the available sleeping room?' She rolled her eyes.

'Well do what I did when Sokka decided that there was enough room in the saddle for him only: sit on him.'

'What?' spluttered Akako.

'I sat on him. It worked every time.'

'Did he wake up?'

'No.'

'So ... What did you actually accomplish?'

'Nothing, really,' admitted Katara, 'but it was fun.'

Akako laughed, the sound of it lost in the breeze rushing past them. Sokka made a disgruntled noise, but said nothing, being too busy pouring over a map to make sure they were flying in the right direction.

'Maybe I'll have a go at it,' she said, crawling across the saddle to where Koji was lying on his stomach. After a moment's pause, she sat down on his back. 'Now what?'

Katara shrugged. 'Maybe he'll –'

Koji stirred. 'What the ...' Akako giggled. 'Akako, are you sitting on me?'

'Yes.'

'That's nice.' Koji's head dropped, and in a matter of minutes his breathing was steady and deep.

'Sokka, we're just about at the edge of the capital. Which way now?'

'We're going to the South Pole, Zuko. Think about it for a minute, I'm sure you'll find your answer.'

'Fine. But if we get lost, it's your fault for not giving me better directions.'

'Sure, sure,' Sokka was rummaging through some bags, 'Katara, where'd you put the jerky?'

'Ooh, I knew I forgot something!'

'What?'

Katara laughed. 'Relax, it's right here.'

'You're as bad as Toph,' grumbled Sokka almost sulkily.

'No, I'm worse.'

'And why's that?' Sokka's voice was almost mocking.

Because I can bend the blood in your body and crush you from the inside. I know how to freeze the water in your throat and render you unable to talk. I know seventeen different ways to kill a man with a water-whip alone.

'Because,' said Katara smugly, 'I hid the drawings Gran Gran drew of you when you were a baby.'

'WHAT? You said that you threw those away! Where are they?'

'What's all this about?' asked Zuko over his shoulder. 'What's wrong with your grandmother drawing pictures of Sokka as a baby?'

'Sokka had a very large forehead.' Katara smiled. 'And Gran Gran, who was quite the artist when she was younger, used to draw him when he was little.'

'It can't have been that bad.'

'Yeah, I suppose you're right,' mused Sokka, 'I mean, at least I didn't go around half-bald with a ponytail in the middle of my head.'

'Sokka!'

'You better watch your back, peasant.'

'The second we set foot on a campsite it's on pony-tail guy!'

Akako snickered. Koji snored. Sokka began half-forming attack strategies in his head while Zuko tried to calculate how many bones he could get away with breaking before Katara got involved.

*

Katara was standing in a meadow. The sunlight was warm and it was pleasant to feel on her face. The sky was blue – too blue – and, where there wasn't grass, flowers of every imaginable colour grew from the ground. In the distance she could see a lake, as clear and brilliant as a crystal.

'Katara.'

She looked up and gasped. It was Aang! She ran forward to meet him, but as she did the light grew brighter and harsher until she couldn't see anything and all of a sudden she was in the crystal catacombs underneath Ba Sing Se.

And then she saw Zuko. She turned around to look at him. He blinked, face passive, in recognition, but said nothing. And when Katara turned back Aang was gone.

Then everything was gone, she was in Ba Sing Se again and Zuko had arrived carrying Aang – dead, dead, dead as Yue had been – in his arms and this time there was no spirit water or second chance because Aang was dead, dead, dead, his eyes still open and she could hear Azula laughing -

'Katara!'

Katara sat up, gasping, not really sure of where she was. Then she felt the breeze on her face – her cheeks were wet, had she been crying? – and, as she remembered the events of the past few hours, realized she must have fallen asleep in Appa's saddle. Sokka was looking at her, concerned.

'You okay?' he asked.

The genuine concern in her brother's voice was too much for Katara, who promptly broke down in tears.

'Sokka, can you take the reins for a minute?' There was the sound of people moving – a small 'yeowch' from Sokka when he tripped over the now-slumbering Akako's legs – and then Zuko was sitting next to her.

With a small sigh, Katara leaned on his shoulder, trying to breathe deeply and shake off the sobs. For a few minutes, neither of them said anything. Then:

'What happened?'

Katara tried to laugh – it was a feeble effort. 'Oh, you know,' she gulped down some tears, 'same old, same old. Aang was there – so were you – and it was okay for a bit and then we were in Ba Sing Se again and ...' she looked up at him, vision slightly blurry from the tears, 'you know the rest.'

Zuko put an arm around her shoulder and squeezed. 'I'm sorry.'

She lifted her gaze to meet his. 'Thanks.'

Zuko's cheeks reddened slightly. 'I – I didn't really do much, I mean –'

'... For ... everything ...' Maybe it was because she was still drowsy, maybe she was simply tired, either way, Katara was asleep within the next ten seconds.

Carefully, Zuko took his arm away from Katara's neck, and gently lowered her onto the floor of the saddle, pulling the blanket up around her shoulders. He turned around, as if to leave, but, on a second thought, leaned down. And kissed her on the forehead.

(Of course nobody else saw this. Akako and Koji were both asleep, and Sokka's was seated on Appa's head – the driver's seat, as he nicknamed it – making sure they didn't fly directly into a cloud – they are actually quiet wet, not nearly as dry and fluffy as they appear to be – like that one time.)

Zuko sat down next next to Sokka, and took the reins from him.

'Everything okay?' asked Sokka, reaching up into the saddle and grabbing his map, straining hard to read it in the dim moonlight.

In the darkness, he couldn't see the faint blush on Zuko's cheeks.

'Yeah,' the Fire Lord said, reaching up to rub the back of his neck, 'I think it might be.'

In the darkness, Katara's eyelids fluttered open and she wondered if the kiss was a dream. A tiny part of her hoped it wasn't.

*

The next night was spent camping on solid ground, on a small, uninhabited island off the coast of the Fire Nation. There was no Aang or Toph to make earth-tents for the small group, but thankfully the spring weather was warm enough for them not to require shelter. However, this didn't stop Sokka from insisting they make a campfire.

'It'll be fun!' he insisted, 'plus it doesn't count as the real camping experience if you don't have a fire!'

Katara gave her consent because she couldn't be bothered with arguing, and Zuko didn't really get a choice as Sokka had already elected him as the group's official fire-lighter. Akako and Koji didn't really care; the former being preoccupied with her water-wall sequence, and the latter searching for something to eat. ('A boy after my own heart,' Sokka said, wiping away a tear from his eye.)

'Hey Katara, watch this!' called Akako from where she was standing by a small stream.

The de ja vu hit Katara like a slap in the face – how many times had Aang said the same thing to her? – but nevertheless, she turned around to watch Akako, forcing her mouth up into a smile.

'Watcha think?' asked Akako as she bounded over.

'I think ...' For a few seconds Katara struggled for words, 'I think you're well on your way to becoming a true master, Pupil Akako.'

Akako beamed. 'Really? You think so?'

'Sure,' said Katara, 'one day you'll probably have waterbending students of your own.'

'Yeah right!' yelled Koji over the yells of Sokka, who had been attempting to roast some fish that Katara and Akako had waterbent out of the stream, apparently burning his hand in the process.

'Hey, I'll let you know that my octopus form is –'

Katara tuned out of Akako's retorts, walking over to where the fire, gloving the water over her hands so that no time would be wasted in healing Sokka.

'What happened?' she asked, pressing her hand to the raw pink skin on Sokka's palm.

'It was one of those freak accidents –' began Sokka, but Zuko quickly interrupted him.

'He put his hand right through the flame.'

'I'll have you know,' snapped Sokka, 'that I've done this plenty of times before and –'

'But it's different with candles!'

The silver glow of Katara's healing waterbending died away, and Sokka lifted up his hand to emphasise where the burn once was. He rolled his eyes. 'Duh.'

Zuko's palm hit his forehead.

*

The second night was spent flying above the ocean. There wasn't nearly enough space for four people to stretch and sleep on, so Katara spent her time alternating between sitting in the saddle with her legs drawn up while Sokka slept, or lying on the ground and trying to sleep while Sokka sat with his legs drawn up to his chin. All in all, a rather uncomfortable experience.

*

'How much do you all love me?' crowed Sokka from Appa's head.

Katara blinked and looked up, drowsy from sleep. She could feel the beginnings of an ache in her shoulder, and wondered if she had slept on it funny.

'What is it?' she asked, getting to her hands and knees and crawling to the front of the saddle, sliding down so that she could sit next to Sokka.

Sokka pointed to the horizon. 'Home!'

'Really?' Zuko's voice was raspy. (A part of Katara wondered if he had been sleeping with his mouth open.) 'Where?'

Narrowing her eyes, Katara looked into the distance. She could see a few tiny bumps in the distance that must be houses, there were the caves that she and Sokka had gone penguin-sledding through when they were kids, right behind them were the ice fields that they had been told to avoid at all costs – Sokka had almost drowned there.

It took about fifteen minutes before Appa finally landed on the ground – not that far away from the village. The bison roared tiredly – if such a thing was possible – and sat down, resting his chin on the snowy floor.

'Good boy, Appa,' praised Akako, reaching up to stroke the sky bison on the nose, 'you did a great job.'

'Hello?' called Katara. 'Anybody home?'

And then she smelt the smoke.

'Oh no...'

(Katara was a child who grew up during war. She had known ever since she could remember that the smell of smoke is bad.)

They all began to run.

The Southern Water Tribe was in ruins.

Houses were gone. Tents had been pulled down from the outside. There were dark, rust-coloured patches soaked into the snow. Katara didn't notice them – she was too busy looking, looking. (Where were Gran Gran and Pakku? Where was her father? Who had done this? Why? Where was the moti-)

Katara wasn't the first to see the flag – dark, rusty-red, with a black sea raven as the insignia – but she was the first to react, vomiting straight onto the ground, feeling stark, pure terror that she hadn't felt in years. She could taste bile.

'Southern ...' she couldn't finish her sentence. Katara felt sick.

'Oh spirits Katara, I – I disbanded the group, I swear!' Zuko's voice was desperate, pleading. 'It was one of the first things I ever did as Fire Lord, I disbanded the group, sent their leader to guard some town on the coast, gave a few of them early retirement! Katara, please, I –'

'Sokka?'

Suki's face was disbelieving, but there was a desperate look in her eyes, one that was begging for this to be true. In her arms was Saika.

'Sokka, I –'

It quickly became apparent that Sokka was too busy kissing Suki to hear what she had to say.

*

There was nowhere for them to sit, so Suki told them what had happened. Nobody really had any idea what to do with Akako and Koji – they could have told them to go back and stay with Appa, only spirits knew what they could stumble upon while heading back. So, in the end, Zuko offered to sit a little while away with the two of them while Sokka, Suki, and Katara talked. Suki explained what had happened.

'Three days ago, came – no benders, though, they carried swords and spears. There were lots of them. Master Pakku said that we all had to evacuate to the tribe to the west, so I went back to the house for Saika. There was a man in there – he hadn't noticed Saika yet, because she was sleeping – and he was going through all our stuff, I think he was searching for valuables.' Suki winced. 'I managed to knock him unconscious from behind, and I grabbed Saika. There were so many people, they were killing anyone – women and children, too – in their path. I managed to get to the edge of the village, but there were some of them there. That's how I got this.' Suki's fingers trailed down a scar that reached from the edge of her left temple to her jawline. 'I couldn't fight the men because I was holding Saika. They wanted to know where my husband was.' Suki hung her head, Sokka's eyes widened. 'They were about to ... you know,' at this, Zuko's face turned bright red, 'when Master Pakku arrived. He managed to fight them off, we were making it to the edge of the village when one of the attacks shot him in the leg with an arrow. We looked back and saw that they were retreating, and since Pakku couldn't walk properly, we decided to go back to the village.' Suddenly, tears began to slide down Suki's cheeks. 'Some of them were still alive. And there was nothing I could do – everything we had was destroyed.'

Sokka moved to comfort Suki, wrapping his arms around her shoulders – the small family was reunited.

'Do you know what happened to Dad and Gran Gran?' asked Katara.

Suki looked up from over Sokka's shoulder. 'I have a feeling that your father got away, Katara, but I can't be certain. He was on the very edge of the village when it happened, I think he was about to go ice-fishing. But I know for a fact that Hakoda would never give up without a fight.'

Katara nodded numbly. And then she realized something.

'Suki?'

Her sister-in-law looked up.

'Where's Pakku?'

There was a dangerous pause.

'He's ... alive,' began Suki slowly, 'we managed to pull a tent up on the outskirts of the village – in case they came back – and he's been resting there ever since. I managed to get the arrow out of his leg and wrap it up, he seems to be healing okay, but he's staying put for the time being in case it becomes infected.'

Katara breathed a sigh of relief. 'Well you can show me where he is and I'll heal his leg for him.'

Suki smiled wearily. 'That would be really good,' she said quietly, the effect of the past few days showing in her eyes.

Zuko walked over to the small group. 'Is there anything I can do to help?' he asked.

'No, Zuko, you have to get to the Earth Kingdom,' said Katara quickly, 'I mean ...' she trailed off, suddenly wondering what would happen.

'No, guys, I want to –'

'Katara's right,' said Sokka, 'you need to go to the Earth Kingdom, Zuko. Admiral Nasou is expecting you.'

'But –'

'Zuko.' Katara's voice was firm. 'Your people need you to go to the Earth Kingdom and inspect the factory in Sho Lei. Spirits know what will happen to the Fire Nation if you don't. They need you ... more than we do. More than I do.'

For a second, all Katara and Zuko saw were each other.

'I ...' Zuko lowered his gaze. 'Very well. But at least let me help you bury your dead.'

'Okay,' said Katara, taking a deep breath, speaking for the group. 'But you have to leave tomorrow night, or you won't arrive in time.'

*

The next night, Appa left the Southern Water Tribe. Zuko took the reins, because Katara was too busy hiding her tears, pretending she was confused as to why she had chosen him.

AN:

- Yes, for all you Narutards out there, Katara thanking Zuko was a reference to Sasuke's (in)famous (depending on what you ship) line. In no way am I comparing the two, just ... referencing. Because I'm the author and I can :)

- Katara sitting on Sokka is a sort of personal joke with a bit of a backstory. You see, I recently started taking Zen do Kai classes - it's a type of martial art - and now, whenever I threaten to beat up my brother, I tell him that, not only do I have ninja skills, I can also sit on him because I have three years on him :)

- HE KISSED HER, HE KISSED HER! *lah-lah-lala-lah-la!* Originally, I wasn't going to have Zuko and Katara kiss until ------- but while writing this chapter, it just felt so darn perfect that I couldn't resist. (However, I don't count it as a super-passionate romatic kiss. I mean, it was on the forehead. If anything, for me at least, the moment was meant to show that Zuko genuinely cares for Katara.)

- The South Pole. Ahem. At the very beginning, while plotting ahead as I always do, I had several alternate endings to what could have happened here. One involved Suki being killed, and Sokka later getting together with Toph, but that felt too easy for me. And, also, there are other villages in the Southern Water Tribe. I might look into that later, when I have the time.

- In case you were wondering, Pakku didn't heal his leg because he doesn't know how. (Remember that's the girl's job in the NWT) Also, this isn't a tiny burn - it's a full-blown arrow in your leg. However, I'm not saying Pakku doesn't have healing abilities - he just hasn't learned how to utilize them yet. (Did I spell that right?)

Question and Answer:

Q. What happened to Gran Gran? Is she still alive?

A. I have a feeling that Hakoda got her out of the village without being injured.

Q. And Hakoda?

A. Alive and well, as far as I'm concerned. Evacuated Kanna and various other peoples out of the village.

Q. Why didn't anyone apart from Pakku try to make sure that Suki was okay?

A. Suki's a Kyoshi Warrior. Everyone knows how tought and awesome she is, they probably forgot that, in the heat of the moment, it's kinda hard to fight off multiple bad guys while carrying your infant daughter xD

Q. Who attacked the SWT?

A. All shall be revealed *disappears in a puff of smoke*